Roaming in the Spirit

Here, There, and Everywhere

The time: not long after the coming of the Spirit to the disciples on Pentecost. The place: not far from Jerusalem. The characters: a leader among the Jerusalem Christians named Philip, and an Ethiopian government official, unnamed.

Philip has been evangelizing in the countryside with the apostles Peter and John. The Ethiopian has been worshiping in the Temple in Jerusalem—apparently he is a devout, non-Jewish believer in the God of Israel—and now he is on his way home. Luke calls him a “eunuch,” but he is not necessarily emasculated, since the term may simply accompany his official title.

In the usual course of events, the two men would probably never meet. But the Spirit is not limited by the usual course of events.

As the scene opens, the Ethiopian is riding along in a fancy carriage. His vehicle marks him as a wealthy man, as does his owning a biblical scroll. The passage he is reading speaks about a servant of God who “has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” Isaiah says that “he was wounded…

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